Compulsory work to become routine

During the action, which was organized in December by the Shklou police department, Zhilkomkhoz housing and utility firm and department for labour, employment and social protection of the local district executive committee, 27 unemployed young people on a police watch list were forced to remove snow from streets in Shklou, Viasna human rights centre reports.

The action was covered by Shklou district newspaper Udarny Front (issue No. 1 of January 5, 2013). A correspondent says the aim of this step was to “promote labour discipline among unemployed people on the police watch list, who don’t want to work for the benefit of society. As a rule, they are alcohol addicts, minor offenders or people having criminal records.”

After the “work therapy”, involuntary workers gathered in the assembly hall of the local police department, where officials, police officers and the prosecutor of the Shklou district told them about alcoholism, antisocial behaviour and parasitism and called on them to change the life and start working. Senior police officers and the prosecutor warned people against further violations and handed referrals to work in organisations of Shklou and the Shklou district.

Udarny Front writes that the local police plan to hold similar “preventive actions” every week. Officials and police officers in Lukashenka’s native district seem to enjoy using socially unprotected people as free work force.

It should be reminded that an action “Step Forward” aimed at social adaptation of people with criminal records was carried out in late November in Shklou. All people, who attended the meeting, were sent to clean the city park without their consent. It was then announced that similar actions would be taken every month. But officials and police officers from Shklou liked the use of free labour force so much that they decided to make people work every week.